ACC Network is slowly-but-surely expanding its cable footprint. Also: ESPN will unveil new graphics for Monday Night Football; the Yankees have officially bought back their 80 percent stake in YES; Boise State-Florida State has been moved up to Noon due to an incoming hurricane.
ACC Network now on Dish, Sling
ESPN’s ACC Network reached last-minute carriage deals with Dish Network and Dish-owned Sling TV on Thursday, leaving Comcast’s Xfinity, AT&T U-Verse, AT&T TV Now, Cox and Fubo TV (which does not have any ESPN networks) as major cable or streaming services that do not carry the channel. The network, which debuted earlier this month, aired its first college football game on Thursday night. [The State 8.29]
ESPN to debut new look for MNF, NFL studio
ESPN’s will debut new graphics and animation for Monday Night Football and its NFL studio shows this season, Sports Business Daily reported Wednesday. The MNF graphics had been in use for four seasons and the studio show graphics for five. The new look will be consistent across game and studio programming. [Sports Business Daily 8.28]
Yankees’ buyback of YES stake now official
Disney has officially sold the 80% stake in YES Network it acquired from 21st Century Fox to a combination of the Yankees, Amazon, Sinclair Broadcasting and private equity firm RedBird Capital. The arrangement was originally reported by Sports Business Daily in March. The Yankees had the right to buy back the stake, which it sold to Fox in 2014, in the event YES were ever sold.
According to multiple reports, the Yankees will own 26% of YES, Sinclair 20% and Amazon 15%, with the remaining 39% split between RedBird and two other private equity firms. [LA Times 8.29, Hollywood Reporter 8.29]
BSU-FSU rescheduled to Noon on ESPNEWS
Saturday’s Boise State-Florida State college football game has been rescheduled from 7 PM ET on ESPN to Noon ET on ESPNEWS due to the incoming Hurricane Dorian. Due to the scheduling change, ESPN will now carry the 7:30 PM Georgia-Vanderbilt game originally scheduled for ESPNEWS, and SEC Network will air the Georgia Southern-LSU game originally scheduled for ESPNU. [ESPN PR 8.29]
